One Question
by Cassie Faith
Summary: "Do you still love me?" he asked. "I don't know…" she answered unsure. The one question that could end it all was asked, but left unanswered. TG


***Author Note: Haven't written for HSM in awhile, sadly. But, this idea just came to me. Ya know how those real good ideas just come to you at either the most convenient, or in my case, most **_**inconvenient**_** times? This idea was that to me. **

**So, I'm not quite sure if this will be a full-length story, a 3 or 4 shot, or just remain a oneshot… that's up to if you all like it.* **

**Title: 'One Question' **

**Summary: "Do you still love me?" he asked. "I don't know…" she answered unsure. The one question that could end it all was asked, but left unanswered.**

**Author: Cassie Faith.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I owned anything you'd be actually seeing this story happen instead of reading it, haha! **

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'_Our Vows are Still the Same…' _

On this day their small two bedroom starter home felt smaller than usual. The window above the kitchen sink was open, the California breeze floated in and across the table where they sat in silence.

13 years of loving each other, 7 of those spent married.

It all seemed to hang on this moment. The silence was so loud it hurt the ears not to speak. Cars on the freeway in the distance were even drowned out by the painful silence.

"I've loved you for 13 years, Gabriella." Troy almost sounded like he was reprimanding a child the way he spoke.

Gabriella sighed and just wrapped her arms tighter around her torso. "I know that…" tears found her eyes now.

They both seemed to fall silent at the same moment. Memories of their meeting, courtship, engagement, wedding day, first time they made love, ever, on their wedding night, the amazingly romantic honeymoon that followed, the blissful 7 years that had came after…

Troy cleared his throat, their eyes locking. "Our vows are still the same. They still mean the same thing to me Brie." Troy chocked back tears watching the deep pain Gabriella was in because of his words.

"You think I don't feel the same?" Gabriella asked in almost disgust because Troy seemed to think she didn't feel the same as him.

Troy's eyes widened at the tone of Gabriella's voice, he spat back with a scoff. "Do you still love me?" his words were clean, straight, and to the point.

Gabriella began to cry harder. "I don't know…" she managed to croak out.

"Like hell you don't know!" Troy's anger was getting the better part of him. Gabriella began to sob as Troy got up and went into the living room to cool down a bit.

Their wedding picture sat in the middle of the room on their coffee table. Troy eyed it, realizing the two people in the picture weren't the same two living in this house today… it hurt him to think that way.

"I'll give you a divorce if that's what you want." Troy spoke walking back into the kitchen.

Gabriella was quick to reply. "No! Please don't?" her voice was hoarse from crying, eyes red and puffy.

"Then what do you want Gabriella?"

"I don't know!"

"No, no.. Tell me: what the hell do you want Gabriella?"

Troy's anger cut them like a sword just sharpened for battle. They stood there in their kitchen staring at each other, chests rising and falling with angry and remorseful breath.

Gabriella sank back down into her chair at the table. Her tears leaving stains on her shirt, and on Troy's heart. Somewhere in silence the decision had been made…

"We'll separate. Not divorce, yet anyway." Troy slipped his ring off and held it in his hand.

Gabriella looked up at him, seeing the ring gone, and falling apart all over again. "These rings were my great-grandparents… they were married 75 years." Gabriella sobbed out as Troy laid his ring in the center of the kitchen table.

"Babe…" Troy touched a comforting hand to Gabriella's shoulder, but she just shrugged it off.

Gabriella slipped her rings off, sobbing harder as she did. It hurt more to take them off than this whole conversation had. Troy held back his own tears watching Gabriella shake with sorrow.

"Hope this helps you…" Gabriella bitterly sighed out as she carefully laid her rings down next to Troy's.

They stood there then. Staring at their rings lying alone and cold in the middle of their kitchen table. It seemed like when they got married their whole future rested upon that metal and diamonds. Now it all rested on a future meeting in a lawyer's office, and with the words 'Irreconcilable Differences'… it killed them both to think the life they had built, and planned to add on to would all end with those two words.

"Can we at least share one last kiss?" Gabriella asked in a sweet and innocent tone as she wiped her tears.

Troy smiled at her. "Of course." he replied before leaning down to lie a sweet and chaste kiss on Gabriella's lips… their last kiss.

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**If I were to continue I could promise you it wouldn't end like this ;) **

**If you liked it, please review and favorite, it would mean the world to me.**


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